When Farhan Akhtar was just 25 years old and staging his directorial debut in Dil Chahta Hai, he found that securing the right actors was far tougher than he expected. He revealed that it began with him
shadow-casting the roles: “I had never even thought that Aamir Khan would agree to do this film. So, I met all the actors and nobody wanted to do a multi-hero film. The trend during the late 90s was that of a love triangle, and they wanted to do a film on that. However, in the end, I went to Aamir Khan because I didn’t have a choice.”
Even after Farhan rewrote the dialogues into Hindi (the original script was in English), the film remained in limbo. He recalled, “When I had given him the script, it had dialogues written in English. He told me that I should make the film in English, but I said I will come back with Hindi dialogues.” Then the wait began: “When I read him the script with Hindi dialogues, he told me that he wants to listen to the script again after three months. I kept waiting after three months, but he got busy with work. Like that, eight months passed.”
Just ten days before filming began, another blow: Saif Ali Khan called Farhan and said he had landed a promising film and wanted to exit. “Ten days before the shoot, Saif called me and told me that he has gotten a good film, which has a love triangle and his role is really good in the film and he wants to do that instead of my film,” Farhan said.
Farhan shared how the cast assembled for an emergency meeting — with his father, producer Ritesh Sidhwani, and Aamir present — to persuade Saif to stay. “We all convinced him to stay on in the film, and Aamir even told Saif that he will make the biggest mistake of his career to leave this film. Somehow, he got convinced. Also, Aamir had told me that if Saif still refuses to do the film, then only one person can play his role, and that is me.”
Dil Chahta Hai (2001) marked a turning point in Hindi cinema, a coming-of-age story that redefined friendship on screen. The film followed three inseparable friends — Akash (Aamir Khan), Sameer (Saif Ali Khan), and Siddharth (Akshaye Khanna) — as they navigate love, heartbreak and growing up after college. Set against the vibrant backdrop of urban India, it portrayed relationships and emotions with a realism that felt refreshingly modern at the time.
On release, Dil Chahta Hai was praised for its sharp writing, relatable characters and stylish direction. It became a cult favourite, especially among urban youth, and went on to win the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi, cementing Farhan Akhtar’s place as one of Bollywood’s most promising new voices.
